Water colours up for grabs at garage sale

Artist John Horton displays unsigned prints of former HMCS Algonquin, former HMCS Protecteur and HMCS Oriole in his Vancouver home. Horton will be selling his prints at the Maritime Museum of B.C.’s garage sale on April 23.

Peter Mallett, Staff writer ~

World-renowned marine artist John Horton is gift-wrapping some of his best work for the Maritime Museum of B.C.’s April 23 garage sale.

Horton, who prides himself at creating detailed watercolour renderings of naval vessels will be selling three of his unsigned prints depicting HMCS Oriole, former HMCS Algonquin and former HMCS Protecteur at the museum’s 13th annual fundraiser at Ogden Point.

“Over the years I have relied heavily on maritime museums from Greenwich to Halifax to Vancouver and Victoria and other parts of the world for my research,” says Horton. “What comes around goes around, and since much of my work comes as a result of their efforts it’s only natural that I support them to the utmost.”

The garage sale goes April 23, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. both inside and outside of Ogden Point’s Pier A Warehouse building at Victoria’s cruise ship terminal on Dallas Road.  

For a $5 cover charge (children under 12 are free) attendees can rummage through all things nautical, from marine tools and devices such as winches lines and boat clothing to outboard engines and small boats to recreational equipment, such as kayaks, life jackets and camping accessories to hiking gear.

Event organizer Ann Jones says the garage sale typically attracts close to 1,000 spectators and raises $10,000 to help the museum offset operating costs. Having the work of a widely-respected artist such as Horton will be an added boost for the event, says Jones.

“He is a highly respected artist; his work is fabulous and we believe there will be a great level of interest in his paintings,” said Jones. “Many of the garage sale customers are people that are in some way connected to the sea, including many current and former Royal Canadian Navy members and may not have seen his work before.”

The three offerings from his collection of work will be available at typically affordable garage sale prices of $20 to $30. Horton says the goal in creating the prints was to make them easily affordable for members of the naval community, and now they will also be helping out an incredibly “sea-worthy cause.”

For more information about the sale please contact the Maritime Museum of B.C. at 250-385-4222 or visit their website www.mmbc.bc.ca/